Golf gripper



April 10, 1934.

H.O. POTTER 1,954,262

GOLF GRIPPER Filed Jan. 5, 1953 scription 'and accompanying drawing, in which Patented Apr. I It), 1934 PATENT:

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I "GOLF GRIPPER Harley o'. Potter, Peoria, m. Application January 5, 1933, Serial No. 3 Claims. (Cl. 2-459) This inventioh relates to golf club grippers and has for its main object the provision of a cover: ing for a portion of the palmer surfaces of the hands whereby a golf club may be repeatedly 5 firmly gripped without injury to the surfaces or underlying tissues or the formation of calluses upon the skin.

Anothenobject is to provide a gripper having finger portions contracted about the rim of their outer extremities whereby the extremities may besnugly fitted to the finger while the body portion of the finger may be loosely fitted. 'Still another object is to provide a gripper adapted to cover a portion ofthe palmer surface of. the hand, the edge thereof extending diago-.

the latter is properly positioned relative to the hand.

Other objects will appear in the following de- Fig. 1 is an approximately full sized view of the back ofmy gripper as it would appear when placed on the hand; and

Fig. 2 is a view similar to that shown in Fig. 1, showing the opposite or palmer side of the gripper.

Before proceeding with a description of my gripper, it may be in order to say that the act of gripping a golf club entails more or less strenuous use of a number of bones, joints and muscles of the hands, especially those of thephalange and metacarpal regions.

As is well known, the skin of the palmer surfaces coming in direct contact with the handle of a golf club is quite likely to become irritated through frictional movement of the handle; in

contact with the skin while the sameis finder pressure as set up by the aforementioned phalange and metacarpal bones and muscles. The effect of.-such irritation is most noticeable where the skin and muscles aredelicate, such as in the case of the female, or in all cases where the hands are not inured to such use. a

In cases where the skin and muscles of the hands are not inured, the more or less continuous use of golf. clubs is almost certain to give rise to blisters and in addition is quite likely to bruise the underlying tissues, a conditon which obvi- 5 ,ously would prevent enjoyment of the game and the possibility of a good score. While it is quite possible that the hands may become inured to the stresses and irritation set up bythe continned use of golf clubs in play orjpractice, such 55 inurement entails the development of callus which is unsightly and highlmundesirable, especially in the case of-femalehands.

In view. of the foregoing, it is clear that in order that golf clubs may be properly used by those with more or less delicate hands, without 9 risk of blisters, injury or undesirable callus, it

v is necessary to provide a device for protecting those portions of the hands which are likely to be so injured or rendered unsightly.

In addition to the protection feature' as above noted, the present invention inclu es a feature which enhances the utility thereof to a considerable extent, this feature residing iri the peculiar form of the device which, as will be described,

the club in the hand is facilitated. Figs. 1 and 2 illustrate that my gripper comprises a cover, adapted to beplaced upon thehand, as shown, having finger portions 11 attached to a body portion 12.-

from-leather or other suitable aterial.

Finger portions 11 have open ends, a s shown,

'provides a gauge whereby proper alignment of and are of such length as to approximately cover the first and second phalanges of the four fingers. As clearly indicated in the drawing, the rims 11- of the finger portions are contracted to fit more or less snugly about the fingers in order that the finger portions may be made to fit the fingers loosely enough to permit free movement and muscular contraction thereof without liability of rolled or frayed edges.

. The body portion 12 is so formed and dimensioned as to extend toward the wrist along the line of the outside of the first finger to a point approximately iust below the joint of the metacarpal; and first phalanx of the first finger, the edge 13 of the body portion extending therefrom diagonally across the palmer surface of the hand Iapproximately to a point below the base of the fourth finger including approximately the outer four-fifths of the fifth metacarpal.

As will be noted, that portion of the body 12 covering the palmer surface of the hand, being formed upon the line 13 described, is adapted to 100 e gripper is made It will also be noted that the line 13 of the ping. Thus, the line 13 is adapted toserve as a guide whereby the club may be properly placed in thehand.

Figld of the drawing will indicate that the lower line 14 of that part of the gripp r lying upon 5 the back of the hand follows approximately the line 13 lying upon the palmer surface.

This unique design leaves free and unrestrained the muscles of the wrist and the knuckles when the hand is in a gripping position, especially noticeable when the club is taken to the'top of the swing, at which point the hands are under considerable strain, being in a hitting position, commonly referred to as cooking the wrists.

What I claim is: 1. A golf club gripper comprising a covering for the hand-which includes body and finger portions, the finger portions having open end portions with constricted edges and being so dimensioned as to cover approximately the first and,

second phalanges of four fingers, the body portion adapted to cover that portion of the palm lying above a line extending from a point adjacent the joint of the metacarpal and first phalanx of the first finger and a point adjacent the first fifth of the fifth metacarpal.

portions having tapered openends, the same hav ing constricted edges.

3. A golf club gripper comprising finger and body portions adapted to cover that portion of the palmer surface of the hand which normally contacts with a golf club handle, when same is properly gripped for play, with the exception of that portion including the thumb and part overlying the first metacarpal, the line of the body portion lying across the palm at such an angle as to lie substantially parallel. with the axis of a golf club handle when same is properly aligned in the hand for gripping, said finger portions having tapered open ends, the same having constricted edges.

HARLEY O. POTTER. 

